Pirra had been based in certainly one of Victoria’s earliest mansions at Lara, near Geelong. The Fairbairn group of pastoralists owned it until 1907 once they offered it into the continuing local government. It operated because the Lara Inebriates organization from 1907 until 1930. This is a national federal government sanitorium for the treating those experiencing alcoholism.

Girls and ladies at Pirra went to community concentrated programs and lots of were later on put in foster care or came back to their loved ones. In 1962, the yearly report described the effective keeping of Pirra girls in personal domiciles as ‘really amazing … in view associated with previous mode of living of the girls’.

But, girls who had been unable to get back house or perhaps put into foster care had been utilized in Youth Training Centres.

Pirra’s first superintendent ended up being Miss C. Ross Morrison (later on Mrs H. Rudduck). In March 1965, Miss L.M. Dodgshun (a matron that is former Bethany Babies’ house) took over as superintendent. Pirra had an Auxiliary, led within the 1960s that are early Mr Dick Austin, which organised yard parties to boost funds. Read more